Prayer Fire and the Cleansing of the Church

“Whose fan is in His hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” Luke 3:17 KJV

There is a prophetic season of cleansing coming to the Churches of God; and I believe it is near if not now at hand. Before our Lord, with trumpet fanfare and all celestial celebration, catches the Church away to be eternally present with Him, He must purify and sanctify it. For too long the church has allowed the seeds of blessing and breakthrough to remain unfruitful as the chaff; the dry, scaly protective casing of the seed of grain [Wikipedia], prevented the seeds from taking root. Oh sure, some churches, from time to time, have received a strong wind of the Spirit that blew these seeds from the threshing floor to their good soil, and the chaff got separated by these powerful, albeit sporadic, wind gusts allowing minimal fruit to grow. But the fan in the hand of God is not to provide a few wind gusts of the Spirit but to ignite an all-consuming unquenchable fire (see 2 Timothy 1:6).

I believe this fire draws its fuel from the flames of our prayer life. In prayer we purify ourselves as we draw near to Him and the throne of His grace (see James 4:8). When we pray God hears and listens, when we pray all creation stops with eager anticipation, when we pray demons tremble, when we pray mankind stands in awe, when we pray our spirit man is strengthened, our faith is nourished, our fears are subsided; yes, I dare say, there is power in prayer. Through prayer we will overcome the hindering spirit that prevents our promised seeds, coming out of the fullness of heavens store houses, from taking root and bearing fruit. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 cor. 7:1) The time has come to burn away the chaff with Holy Ghost Prayer Fire.

Our prayers have great impact, when it is inspired and ignited by the Holy Spirit.

The Church needs more than just prayer times, it needs prayer leaders. Prayer leaders who don’t just understand prayer, but who knows how to pray. Prayer leaders who seek after a fresh awakening to the manifest presence of God and not just a feel good, emotional experience. Prayer leaders who will pray with Holy Spirit F.I.R.E:

Fervency:To pray with passion and fervency

Intercession: To pray with a spirit of intercession

Righteousness: To pray with a heart of righteousness

Empowerment: To pray with Holy Spirit empowerment

Praying with passion and fervency

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Mark 11:23 NKJV

Passion and fervency have their roots in faith. You can never desire greatly for something that you do not believe in. To engage in prayer fire is more than just hoping, it is more than wishing, it is more than wanting, it is more than lively discussion, more than feelings of emotion, much more than dreams of fantasy; it is to pray believing for the whatsoever, for the impossible, for the miraculous, for the supernatural; to pray with anointing and authority in full assurance that your declaration and decree will not be spoken to futility but will accomplish the will of the Spirit over everything it sets its heart too.

Praying with a spirit of intercession

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” Ephesians 6:18 ESV

Intercession is at the heart of God. He looks for a man who will stand in the gap, for that someone who will bear his brothers burdens, for the shepherd that will go after the one lost sheep. Intercession is key to praying the will of God; for Gods son, Jesus, interceded for his disciples and the people of the world to know the will of the Father in John chapter 17 and like the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints today according to the will of God as we read in Romans chapter 8. The will of God for all believers is to encourage and lift up others. To move beyond praying for others to engaging the fiery storms they are embattled in; to fight fire with fire.

Praying with a heart of righteousness

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” James 5:16 KJV

Righteousness simply alludes to a right standing before God. A person who can stand before God with confidence can stand before any man without cowardice. The prophet Isaiah was lifted up to stand before the throne of God and he saw the Lord ‘high and lifted up’. A hot coal from heavens altar was taken and applied to the lips of the prophet. This was to purify him and make him righteous before God. In righteousness, Isaiah was able to speak to the Almighty and say “here am I, send me”. In righteousness, Isaiah was trusted with the word of the Lord. In righteousness, Isaiah was chosen as the messenger of God. When we pray with prayer fire, we too, will be trusted with a word from the Lord and called upon to deliver that word with the seal of the Lord.

Praying with Holy Spirit Empowerment

The church is called to change the world; for the church literally sits between the open fields of this world and the gates of hell (see Matthew 16:18). Without the empowerment of the Spirit, this challenge would be impossible. Also, it would be impossible to learn of the Lord and to understand the mystery of His power and grace without the empowerment of the Spirit. To pray in the spirit is the command of the Word.

It is time to cleanse the church with prayer fire. So, to all you prayer leaders, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…” 2 Timothy 1:6a ESV